Before Wind and Hydro: The building blocks of a sustainable nation

Scandinavia could be considered one of the leaders in sustainable and environmentally friendly business practice and technology development, through the examples outlined in the previous green market article and to be described through product in the next article. However, how did they get to where they are now?

No happy accident

The rise of green and sustainable culture in the Scandinavian region was no accident. In fact, even before the technology existed, the mindset of sustainable practice was already there. Sweden’s history is a good example of how the building blocks to sustainability were present for many decades before it became a top-of-mind issue. It all started in 1973, with the OPEC-fueled oil crisis. This event, an oil embargo by OPEC on all nations that would support Israel in its conflict with Syria, Egypt, and Iraq, provided a dire lesson to the government of Sweden on nonrenewable commodity-based energy. This lesson was enough to prompt the nation into looking into not only alternative energy sources, but ways to conserve energy as well.

Some of the simplest yet most effective practices were in city and home planning. Houses were built with windows only facing the south, east, or west. A certain style of wall insulation for wooden homes had already been in use since the turn of the century. In addition, in 1975 a new Code of Building practice was established that helped to ensure houses used energy as efficiently as possible.

The first in a new energy legacy

The first real renewable energy source Sweden turned to was Solar. Solar was used to varying degrees of success, due to the countries northern locale. Solar panels were first applied to buildings to assist in the heating of water in the individual building. But as time went on, solar was utilized in larger grids, and to cut down on the amount of non-renewable fuel needed to run buildings. This later became subsumed by wind and hydroelectric power, which works better in the low solar-radiation climate of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Its clear to see that Sweden, and Scandinavia have been in the renewable frame of mind for a long time in coming.

Sweden's tumultuous relationship with wind: More love than hate

Wind energy has come a long way from a new energy source to the mature, and for the most part, accepted energy source it is now. It has found use in a lot of different countries in a very big way. Germany generates five percent of its energy through 20,000 wind turbines, with the United States and Spain completing the top three for use of wind turbines for energy. However, as it has matured, so has the criticism. From what was once mainly faulted for being an eyesore, now the turbine is being looked at in terms of its shortcomings as a practical energy source. After all, the wind isn’t constant, and the prime locations for wind farms usually place them far away from the places that need the most electricity. Already, wind-energy pioneers like Germany and Denmark are faltering in growing their wind industry; as of yet it’s just too unreliable.

This fact hasn’t seemed to phase the Swedes however, who in 2007 only received less than one percent of their overall energy from wind sources. Currently, Sweden derives all of its energy mainly from two sources: hydro and nuclear. The reasoning for expanding their wind industry comes from a want to develop a third leg of energy production, therefore strengthening the resilience of their energy network. Residents near possible wind farm sites still resist the idea to a certain point, due to the eyesore factor, but the green legislation and the more overall acceptance of wind turbines as a sign of modernity help to keep the projects on track.

But Sweden isn’t keen on simply using wind energy as a straight to the grid energy source alone. They’ve already innovated on the ways in which they can compensate for some of the faults of wind energy. One of their most prominent is using wind energy to pump water from underground into elevated reservoirs, which can then be used for hydroelectric energy production. This both minimizes the inconsistent flaw of wind energy, while strengthening the supply of hydro energy, showing that a more diversified sustainable energy grid can be used to solve many reliability issues.

Another interesting aspect of the application of wind energy, and a more recent example at that, is the advent of using wind energy to supply power to docked cargo ships. Currently the ships use a bunker fuel, which is leftover residue from refining oil, to power themselves at dock. However, the bunker fuel actually create effluent that trap heat and can accelerate the melting of arctic ice, in addition to the fact that the particulates of this substance aggravate respiratory diseases, cardiopulmonary diseases, and can even contribute to lung cancer. Also, the shipping industry is responsible for twice the amount of emissions as aviation, and yet undergoes little scrutiny and is very slow to change. The change started eight years ago however, when a Swedish company called Stora Enso collaborated with the ports and the government of Sweden to devise a way to improve their environmental profile. Switching to a wind supported power grid while at dock is a little more expensive, but in the end cuts most emissions down to near zero percent. Which is acceptable to Stora Enso, who believe their customers would like it better this way. Now isn’t that lovely policy?

Where a swan means more than just feathers: Nordic Eco-Labeling

It all started in the 1980’s. Increased awareness and interest in the subject of sustainability prompted the Nordic Council of Ministers, representing the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark, to create a certification system that could be awarded to companies that held themselves to a higher sustainable standard. Taking some cues from an equivalent system in the EU, the European Flower Eco-label, the Council created the Svanen Miljomark, the Swan Environmental Label. Established in the 1989, the Swan eco-label has since grown at a considerable pace, to become one of the more successful eco-labeling systems. The Svanen Miljomark is also part of the larger Global Eco-labeling Network, or GEN, which is an association of all eco-labelers worldwide.

How does the Swan help?

The Swan Eco-label is designed to serve as a signifying mark of a commitment to a much more stringent set of sustainable business practices than what is generally in place today. The mark takes into account environmental problems that must be addressed: such as climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, acidification, local air pollution and noise, ground level ozone formation, water pollution and over-fertilization, emissions of eco-toxins and heavy metals, harmful substance emissions, accumulations of unsorted waste, invasive species, reduced biodiversity, radioactive radiation, excessive use of land/water, over-extraction of rare resources, and dangerous technology.

It also covers the aspects of the business product that should be considered: such as energy, raw materials, effluents, waste, packaging, instructions for use, and government requirements. One of the most beneficial aspects of a company gaining this mark is that their product or service has been considered throughout its lifecycle from the materials used to make it to the waste at the end of the lifecycle, and everything in-between.

How can one get the Swan?

Businesses are allowed to apply for the Svanen Miljomark. The Nordic Eco-labeling Board decides whether or not a company fits the criteria for a Svanen Miljomark. Three aspects are considered when deciding whether or not a product category is right for the Swan Eco-label: Relevance, Potential, and Steerability.

Relevance looks at how the product or category contributes to the environmental problems looked at by the Eco-label. Potential looks at how much environmental gain could be achieved through more sustainable process. Steerability looks at how much the product category could be changed or steered by the eco-label.

Through these criteria, companies can make a difference in their own and the global communities. And with the inertia of the Sustainable movement in Scandinavia, the Svanen Miljomark will certainly have increased use in the future.

In a sense, not so green: Scandinavia's maturing green market

Four northern European countries have long been the spearhead of the sustainable design movement. But it is also important to note the contributions Scandinavia has made to the ethical codes of commerce. A good focus for both of these fields is Sweden, known for its unique and functional design sensibility. Described below are just a few different companies that have really helped Sweden come to the forefront both in sustainable and ethical practices.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is a company committed to a sustainable practice as well as a good reputation on the world stage. Most likely their biggest landmark program developed in that philosophy was their green-landings program. Through development of the computers at traffic control and on plane, increased communication and coordination has given SAS the ability to calculate flight paths that save more fuel. Thanks to this program, every flight that is “green-landed” saves 100 kg of fuel, and contributes 200 kg less carbon dioxide emissions. It’s estimated that once all SAS flights adopt this program, the airline will be producing 90,000 tons less of Carbon Dioxide every year. That’s the equivalent of 20,000 cars driving 9,320 miles a year on average.

Another sterling example of a commitment to sustainability is small company named EcoMarine. The company recently came out with a non-toxic biological paint for boats. Much like Minnesota on this side of the Atlantic, Sweden is a recreational boating culture, but up until this point in time all boat paints that repelled algae growth on the boat body were toxic. Sweden has passed legislation barring use of these paints, realizing the adverse effect they would have on sensitive lake ecosystems as some of the toxic material disseminated from the boat hull. EcoMarine developed a paint that was formulated off of natural bacteria, taking cues from fish themselves. The bacteria repels algae growth on the boat, and in addition develops a slime layer on the boat that helps it move through the water with greater ease.

A major company in Sweden that’s gotten a lot of press for its practices in recent years has been the home furnishing giant IKEA. IKEA operates on two very simple principles, “Good design for everyone” and “No waste in the economics of the business, environmentally or with energy”. Among its sustainable practices, is the status of being the leading distributor of low-energy light bulbs.

A great example of a Swedish company that has shown great ethical policy is the clothing retailer H&M. The company has a well-developed code of conduct including such items as: compliance with local labor laws, statutory pay and hours, the right to organize and bargain collectively, bans on child labor and discrimination, and compliance with local environmental legislation. This, in addition to the fact that all suppliers are monitored by independent auditors, really shows how much the company has designed its model around sustainable and ethically sound principles, and the company is doing well because of it.

Ultimately, Scandinavia has had a lot of exposure to Sustainable practices in business for a lot longer than most of the world. The next phase of this view on business phase is still largely speculated, but many companies have started ramping down telling the consumer about their sustainable practice, choosing instead to dwell on something related to other attributes consumers find important in their products. The difference from, say, the rest of the world is that while they may no longer be dwelling on the sustainable practices as before, they still retain them in the business model. Perhaps the next phase of the Scandinavian business practice is just that, businesses building themselves through sustainable practices as something almost second nature. Something needed for the business itself, and not its consumers.

Enormous biological diversity, still feels like tundra.

It’s surprising, but true: One wintry island in the Arctic Circle contains 2,911 different species of plants. Well its seeds anyways. The island of Spitzbergen in the Norwegian Archipelago of Svalbard is home to a very unique facility, a complex called the SGSV: Svalbard Global Seed Vault. This vault, aptly nicknamed the “Doomsday Vault” by main media sources, is a new initiative to preserve the biological diversity of the world’s plant life in the case of major natural disaster, disease, resource mismanagement, or biological warfare disaster. A second chance, so to speak, in case we as a species really make a mess of things; A wise choice, more likely than not.

How did it get there?

In the 1980s, the idea had emerged for a global seed bank but it wasn’t until an important international set of legal guidelines were established, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, that the idea could feasibly be pursued. The idea was then spearheaded by the Norwegian Government, who footed the bill of NOK 45 million, roughly 9 million US Dollars. On June 19th, 2006, the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark flew to the frozen island chain for the “laying of the first stone” ceremony, and the project had formally begun. Finished in September of 2007, the facility was opened for use on February 26th of 2008.

The nuts and bolts of the whole operation

The facility is very well considered in its construction. Built into a mountainside on Spitzbergen, the natural sandstone of the rock face is both stable to build into and low in radiation. The limited access to oxygen will help delay the aging of the seeds, as to stay viable much longer. In addition, the whole archipelago is affected by permafrost, also helping the seeds to last longer. Cooling units will be installed to keep the seeds at a steady –18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees F). Even if the cooling units fail, it’s projected to take several weeks before the seeds would rise to the natural –3 degrees Celsius (30 degrees F).

Even global warming has been taken into consideration when choosing Svalbard as a location, as due to the altitude and how deep the bank was built into the mountain, even the rising of sea level or the melting of permafrost will affect the functionality of the bank.

How many seeds could a seed-bank bank?

The SGSV has a capacity of 4.5 million different seed samples. Each sample usually consists of 500 seeds. This means the total number of seeds able to be contained in Svalbard is around 2.25 billion seeds. Currently the number of species contained is 2,911, with the total seed count at 288,897 seeds. Countries from all around the world are participating in stocking the seed banks, with a special emphasis on developing countries. The seed-bank is universal, meaning that although it was built and resides in Norway, all countries are able to contribute to the facility. In addition, each country retains the rights to the seeds they contribute, allowing the government of each country to decide if and when they’ll remove seeds from the bank. One of the first major contribution to the bank came from 36 African nations, numbering 7000 seed samples.

The government of Norway has done all of this as a service to the world community, and hope that through this project, we can avert any major loss of biodiversity, human-caused or otherwise.